


Caffeine and Kisses

by staristired



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, F/M, Office Romance, mr. vice president Adrien, secretary Marinette
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2018-11-30 14:59:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11465994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/staristired/pseuds/staristired
Summary: Marinette spilled coffee on Adrien on what was the most important day of his life after his birth and decided to apologize with even more coffee. After 2 hours of sleep and running on caffeine, Marinette meets with Adrien to try to keep her job, and she gets more than what she bargained for.Adrien only asked for Marinette to be his new secretary because of her coffee. Right?





	1. Spilled Coffee

Inside the Agreste Fashion Inc., there was a small coffee shop where the workers that didn’t have access to the lounge or had their own secretaries to make them coffee would buy their daily dose of caffeine. The Agreste Fashion Inc. was an exciting but demanding work place, and even though she just worked in the coffee shop, Marinette Dupain-Cheng felt as if the work flow vibes were on her. If she opened, she would make sure to come in 30 minutes early that they weren’t paying her for to make sure that the coffee would be ready by the time all the other workers started coming in. She was clumsy, but she never made mistakes. People in the fashion industry were people you didn’t want to get angry early in the morning.

After everyone in the morning went by, she and her coworkers usually only had very few customers an hour so she’d spend the rest of the day doodling designs. They were either originals or the outfits that people would wear to work, just with her own little tweaks. She wish she could work with the people in the upper floors of the building, but she couldn’t afford to get a proper education. What she got in the coffee shop went to her parents and their bakery that got by just fine, but she knew the money she gave them helped. Her parents often denied the money at first, but she would sneak it into their safe either way. Even if she saved all her money for a year, she probably wouldn’t be able to pay a single course of the school she had her eye on. Maybe someday she’d move away from this coffee shop, but for the moment, she was there.

On the upper floors away from the coffee shop on the ground level, there was commotion everywhere. Adrien Agreste needed good coffee, and he needed to get away for a few minutes before the big meeting. His secretary, Chloe, didn’t make good coffee. She never had, so he’d never drink it and just shove it in the trash. But today, he needed coffee. He felt drained. He stepped out of the elevator to make his way to the coffee shop. Inside, Marinette looked up from her sketch book and stared wide eyed at the young man in a grey suit who was walking in. His jacket was unbuttoned, and he was sweating. The building wasn’t hot. He was just nervous.

“Hi,” Adrien said,” can I get an iced coffee with vanilla please.”

“Y-yeah, right up,” Marinette said and rang it up in the cash register. “Your name?”

“Adrien,” he smiled. Marinette blushed because she had never seen anyone with such a beautiful smile. He swiped his card and got his receipt before going to sit down. Marinette always made sure to focus when making an order, but she really didn’t want to mess this one up. When she was done, she wrote _Adrien_ on the cup. Oh yeah, the dot in the _i_ had a little heart. She went around the counter to hand it to him, and he stood up too fast.

_Shit._

“Oh my gosh, I’m so so so sorry,” Marinette started panicking. Before Adrien could say anything back, a pregnant blonde lady walked in.

“Someone told me I could find you here, Adrien,” she said looking at her phone,” why didn’t you just ask me for coffee?” She then looked up at Marinette and Adrien whose white shirt and part of his pants were wet and stained. “You!” she pointed at Marinette. “Did you do this?”

“Yes, kind of-,” Marinette tried to talk.

“You can kiss your job goodbye! I hope you know what you just did. People like you are what’s wrong with this world. Adrien! Let’s go. You have to be in the meeting in exactly 4 minutes and 30 seconds. I’ll try to find you something to wear if I can move fast enough,” she said and went up to grab Adrien by the arm. He looked angry, and Marinette felt as if he was angry at her. Marinette felt horrible about the entire situation, but the knot she felt in her throat felt worse. She could not lose her job. She liked the flexible work hours and her coworkers. She knew her parents appreciated whatever she gave them. The pay wasn’t excellent, but it was enough. She could not lose this job.

* * *

_The next day: Friday, 8:20PM. Night shift._

“I can’t lose my job, Rose,” Marinette said, tapping her fingers on the counter. Agreste Fashion Inc. didn’t close until 11PM, so their coffee shop closed at 11. She was working the night shift with her coworker Rose.

“Have you told your parents?” Rose asked her.

“No,” Marinette sighed,” I don’t want to worry them until I know for sure that they’re firing me. Human resources hasn’t called me in yet. I don’t know if his wife is going to tell them anytime soon, but she sounded serious. I got two hours of sleep, Rose. I’m running on caffeine right now. I can’t feel my face.”

“Go apologize to him personally,” Rose said. “You said he works here, right?”

“Yeah, I’m guessing. He was going to a meeting. His name is Adrien, but I’m not sure about his last name. I guess I can just ask how many Adrien’s we have working here and go to every office.”

“Go ask the front desk if he has an office. If he’s still here, go take him a coffee. Just don’t spill it on him this time,” Rose giggled. Marinette shot her a quick glare before busting out laughing. She made the same order from the day before, put her own money in the register, and went to the front desk. Only one person worked in the building with the name Adrien, and he had his own office on one of the top floors which made Marinette more nervous because it meant he was important. The front desk lady said he hadn’t checked out yet. Marinette made her way to the elevator and hesitated before pressing the button. She had only gone up the elevator to the second floor to go to the HR room or to pick up her check. She had never gone any higher and now she was going to the twenty-seventh floor. When she got there, it was mostly a huge open space and two doors. One was a restroom, the other one on the other side of the floor was the door to an office. There was boxes everywhere and a sole desk near the entrance of the office. She guess that that was the secretary’s, but they weren’t there. With every step closer she took near the door, she could hear her heartbeat get louder. This dictated weather she kept her job or not. She knocked on the door quietly. There was no response. She knocked again and the door opened. It was Adrien, and he looked tired.

“Oh, it’s you,” he said. She couldn’t tell what kind of tone he was giving off.

“I’m so sorry,” Marinette said and showed him the coffee,” I didn’t mean to make your wife angry.” Adrien looked at her, the coffee, then her, then the coffee, then her again, and he started laughing. Marinette raised her eyebrow and looked at him.

“Well, one. Chloe isn’t my wife and far from it. Also, I wasn’t mad, I promise,” Adrien said. “I realize you brought me coffee and that it’s rude for me to keep you standing here. Come in and sit.” Adrien walked into his office and Marinette walked right behind him. She sat at one of the desk chairs as he in his. He had papers and boxes everywhere. “Sorry for the clutter, I just got moved into this office.”

“It’s fine. Look, I really am sorry for spilling the coffee on you, honest.”

“Well you don’t seem like the type of person to spill coffee on someone on purpose, so I accept your apology.”

“Was the meeting really important?” Marinette asked and played with her finger.

“Oh, you know. I was just named Vice President in front of the press and important fashion industry leaders with a huge coffee stain. No biggie,” he laughed. Marinette’s heart sunk in realization. Her eyes were wide open.

“You’re Adrien Agreste? _The_ Adrien Agreste? Gabriel Agreste’s son?!”

“If not, signing that contract with that name was a big mistake,” he smiled. Marinette placed her forehead on his desk.

“How do you not hate me?” Marinette groaned.

“It’s fine. What was my dad going to do? Ground me?”

Marinette sat up and said, “Adrien, I don’t know you that well or how old you are, but I have a feeling that if your dad sent you to your room right now, you’d go.” Adrien made eye contact with her and laughed.

“You’re probably right,” Adrien smiled. “What’s your name?”

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

“Glad to know there’s someone in this office with a good sense of humor.”

“So I’m not getting fired? I really need this job, Mr. Agreste”

Adrien laughed,” Chloe is leaving in about four days for maternity leave. I’m pretty sure she forgot about it. But if they do try to fire you, come talk to me. I’ll vouch for you.”

“Oh, Mr. VP can do whatever he wants now,” Marinette smirked.

Adrien shrugged and smiled at Marinette,” Pretty much. No, actually. I still can’t get a secretary that can make coffee. Maybe later.”

“Yeah,” Marinette smiled,” maybe later. Well, I should get back to the coffee shop. I’m there until 11. Goodnight, Mr. Agreste.”

“Goodnight, Ms. Dupain-Cheng. Thanks for the coffee.”

“Thanks for not firing me,” Marinette joked. Marinette stood up and made her way to the door. Adrien placed his elbows on his desk and his head on his hands to watch her leave. He needed to get her near him.


	2. 48 Hours

Adrien was wide awake thanks to the coffee Marinette had dropped by earlier. Even though he had been VP for less than 48 hours, he was already looking through collections that needed approval and photographs of models. He liked his job, but he didn’t like the workload. It was 10:50PM, and he needed to leave. The only person who could stay after hours or approve for workers to stay after hours was his father, and he had left to a business trip that morning.

He logged off his computer, got his brief case, and went into the elevator to the first floor. He saw that the lights in the tiny coffee shop were on, and he realized that there was still people behind the counter. Instead of heading straight to the entrance, he made his way to the coffee shop. He saw Marinette and a short blond girl. Marinette was drawing something behind the counter and the blonde girl was wiping down some of the tables. He went up to Marinette, but she didn’t look up. He noticed she was drawing something he couldn’t make out.

“Hey,” he said, scaring her as soon as she realized who that voice belonged to.

Marinette quickly shut her sketch book and looked at Adrien with a crooked grin,” Hey, Mr. Agreste. Why are you still here?”

“What are you hiding?” Adrien crossed his arms and smiled.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Marinette said and slid her sketchbook away from her, making it fall off the counter and onto the floor.

“I was working,” Adrien answered.

“This late?”

“What are you hiding?” Adrien asked again.

“This late?” Marinette repeated in the exact same voice.

“Yes, Ms. Dupain-Cheng, what are you hiding _this late_.”

“In all honesty, Marinette sighed, “Mr. Agreste, it’s none of your business.” Marinette looked serious and put her hand on her hip. She had thought Adrien was cute the first time she saw him, but she had now known him for less than 48 hours, and she wanted to smack him on the head. Of course, she couldn’t. Adrien then pouted his lips at her. Okay. Maybe she still thought he was cute. Marinette picked up her sketchbook and placed it on the counter. “’I’ll show it to you when I trust you.”

“You don’t trust me?”

“Well one, I met you less than 48 hours ago, and two, you’re the vice president of a multimillion corporation. Of course not.”

Adrien raised one of his eyebrows and uncrossed his arms to put them on the counter. Marinette looked at his hands, back at him, and pushed away every thought that had to do with holding hands. Adrien told her, “You got me there. I don’t even trust my own father.”

“WOAH!” Marinette exclaimed and threw up her hands. “I said I’ll show you my stupid sketchbook when I trust you, not trust me with your whole life story.”

Adrien smirked a little bit. “I don’t have a lot of friends either. I’m an only child. I see my father in meetings more than I do at home,” Adrien started listing just to see her reaction. She looked horrified. Adrien started laughing. “I’m kidding. Well, not really. But you get my point.”

Marinette crossed her arms and straightened her back, “Shouldn’t you be heading out, Mr. Agreste?”

“Are you kicking me out, Ms. Dupain-Cheng?” Adrien asked, still managing to smile.

“This is your building, Mr. Vice President. I would never. When you’re ready to order, let me know. You have two minutes before we close,” Marinette smiled. Rose was still wiping down tables, and she was entertained by the entire fiasco.

“How do you get home?” Adrien asked her as he sat down at one of the stools at the counter. Marinette sighed and realized he wasn’t going to leave.

“I use the Paris Metro,” Marinette replied and went to go sit on the stool next to him.

Adrien gave her a weird look and asked,” Isn’t that dangerous?”

“There’s creeps, but I can defend myself. I’d buy a car if I could, though. It’s not fun getting cat called every other night. But I’m always broke, and I don’t know how to drive.”

“You don’t ever save?”

“You don’t remember that you were born rich?” Marinette said and mocked him with a big smile. Adrien looked shaken up.

“Okay, I realize I don’t know what’s going on in your life. I’m sorry,” Adrien frowned, making Marinette feel bad.

Marinette bit her lip and told him softly, “No, don’t apologize. We have two totally different lives.” Adrien gave her a small smile. For the first time in forever, Adrien felt like he was talking to a person.

“Would you like a ride home?” he asked.

“No, Mr. Agreste, it’s fine.”

“It’s 11PM. I’m officially Adrien to you,” Adrien said after he looked at his watch.

“Then I’m Marinette, the girl who isn’t taking the ride offer.”

Rose intervened,” Marinette, just take the ride home. He doesn’t look dangerous. You know where to find him if he is. I’m heading out. Make sure to turn off the lights.” Rose smiled and waved her fingers at Marinette and Adrien as she headed out the coffee store. Marinette groaned and Adrien just had a big smile.

“She trusts me,” Adrien told Marinette with a huge grin.

“Fine! You can give me a ride home,” Marinette said with a defeated tone and stood up to collect her things. Adrien could not stop smiling. She put her sketchbook inside her bag and she turned off some of the appliances. When she looked back at Adrien, she noticed his smile. “Why are you still smiling? It’s kind of creepy.”

“S-Sorry,” Adrien laughed and ran his fingers through his hair. _Don’t mess this up, Adrien._ The parking lot was next to the building, and his car was up front with his new reserved parking space.

“Woah, nice car,” Marinette said as they made it to the parking lot, “and I don’t know anything about cars.”

“Thanks I guess? It used to be my dad’s. I didn’t want a brand new car, and he did. I just took this,” Adrien shrugged before opening the door for Marinette. Marinette sat down and looked into his eyes for a split second before he turned away. She ignored it, but Adrien felt his heart skip an extra beat when he realized he could still see how blue her eyes were in the dark.

“ _Just this_? I would never be able to afford this if I worked every day of the year,” Marinette told him before he closed the door.

He went around and sat down in the driver’s seat and asked, “Hey, how much do you get paid in the coffee shop?”

“Enough money to help my parents out and for me to not quit and leave,” Marinette replied as she buckled her seatbelt. She heard Adrien’s belt click two seconds after hers.

“You don’t want to go to school or anything?”

“I do, but I can’t afford it. Instead of saving, I’d much rather give it to my parents.”

“Do you live with them?”

“Yes, and I pay half of the bills,” Marinette explained and then she turned to look at Adrien. She pressed her cheek on the headrest of the leather seat. He sat up straight when he realized Marinette was looking directly at his face. “You’ve never paid a bill in your life, huh?”

“No. I’m… lucky,” Adrien stammered.

“Maybe its bad luck,” Marinette said quietly. Adrien gave her a confused look. Marinette shook her head, “You know what? Never mind. You are pretty lucky. You’re what? 25 and never have paid any bills.”

Adrien laughed a little. “I’m actually 22.”

“What?” Marinette gave him a blank stare.

“I’m 22,” he laughed nervously.

“Oh my gosh, Adrien. I’m sorry. I’m not trying to say you look old, you don’t, also it’s just a 4 year difference, but still I’m so sorry.”

“Stress adds a few years I’m guessing. Don’t worry about it,” he said and gave her a feeble smile.

“No, it’s not that. You’re my age, and you’re a millionaire. You’re set for life, Adrien. You don’t look old, I promise. I just didn’t think they’d put someone my age in a seat as hot as yours.”

“Yeah,” Adrien said and started the car, “I get what you’re saying. A lot of people were against me getting this position in the company, actually. I did what I had to do to prove myself for about an entire year, and those people started encouraging me to take this spot. My dad was one of those people. Also, my dad’s secretary and I are the only ones who can handle him and are willing to go against him if he’s wrong.”

“Wait, your dad was against you getting VP?”

“I’ll tell you the rest later,” Adrien smirked, “when I trust you.” Marinette just shook her head and smiled.

“Alright, Mr. Vice President. It’s been under 48 hours, and I already know so much. I can wait for the rest if I ever see you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I work on the first floor. You work almost on one of the highest floors. You’re going to be busy, and I don’t always get the night shift. We probably won’t talk for another while. It’d be really hard to stay friends,” Marinette said and looked ahead.

“W-We’re friends?” Adrien asked in a shaky tone.

“Yeah, why not,” Marinette shrugged, not looking at him. “People can become friends in under 48 hours. We can’t really trust, but we can make friends.” She looked back at Adrien and raised an eyebrow. “Mr. Vice President, are you crying?”

* * *

_Saturday_

“I made him cry, Rose,” Marinette shook Rose’s shoulders the next morning,” I made my fricken Vice President cry!” Rose started laughing, making Marinette even more nervous. “This is no laughing matter, Rose! I could get fired!”

“He doesn’t look like the type of person to tell their daddy that a girl made him cry,” Rose giggled.

“Rose!”

“Well, what did he say when you asked him why he was crying?”

“He said to ignore it and to just tell him my address. The entire ride home was so awkward, I didn’t know what to tell him.”

“I think he likes you.”

“What?! That has nothing to do with this conversation.”

“Oh, I’m tired of you freaking out. I’m starting a new one. Yeah,” Rose nodded,” he likes you.”

“Rose, you’re crazy,” Marinette rolled his eyes.

“You like him, too,” Rose told her.

Marinette gasped,” I do not! I mean, I think he’s cute… and his smile is beaut- Rose! I’ve known him for roughly 48 hours. We have completely different lives. This is never going to happen.”

“So you’ve thought about the chances of it happening?”

“What is wrong with you, Rose?” Marinette huffed and crossed her arms.

“Did you tell Alya about him?” Rose smirked. Marinette frowned. She had her cornered. “Ah ha! So if you told Alya about him, it means Mr. Vice President has made a new office in Marinette’s Mind Headquarters,” Rose laughed.

“Rose, you’re a really sweet person. The sweetest person on earth. But you’re a bitter cup of coffee this morning.”

“The truth is bitter?” Rose laughed making Marinette walked away. They started serving the customers that came in and out for a few hours, and they had that pause where everyone was at work and didn’t need coffee. When Marinette was drawing, they got a visit from a familiar .

“Hi, Marinette,” the lady with black hair greeted her.

“Oh, hi, Juleka,” Marinette smiled at her. Then her eyes went wide open in realization. She was Juleka from human resources. “Oh no.”

“Marinette, you need to come with me to my office.”

“R-Right now? Like, right now right now?”

Juleka nodded, “Immediately.”

“Oh. O-Okay,” Marinette nodded. Marinette and Rose gave each other worried looks before Marinette took off her apron and walked to the elevator with Juleka, forgetting to put away her sketch book. They arrived at Juleka’s office, and Marinette felt as if everything was falling apart. Her head was spinning.

Juleka noticed how worried Marinette looked and told her,” It’s nothing bad. I think it’s good actually, but it depends on how you take it.”

“What? What do you mean? Take what? It’s good? I’m not getting fired? Right? Right?” Marinette sat at the edge of her seat as she practically spit in Juleka’s face.

Juleka wiped her face and said, “Mr. Vice President requested me to assign you as his new secretary until Mrs. Chloe Bourgeois returns from maternity leave in four months.”

Marinette gave her a blank stare, “What?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the ending was going to go completely different with Adrien being there when she called him stupid, but I looked back at the little notes I had in my purse, and I realized I'd rather go with what I had on there. I was going to upload this Monday, but I'm the type of person that if something is finished and written, I need to upload it as soon as possible. I'm a very impulsive person. I started chapter three already, so I'll see when that's done. I don't want to post them all so close together because right now, I'm just really excited about this story, and I'm scared I won't have time to update when school starts. Thank you guys so much for the comments and kudos :') You guys made me so so happy. I'll try to reply to everyone again if my lambs don't bite off my fingers beforehand. Anyways, you guys can send asks to 12gottliebstreet on Tumblr if you guys have questions. Links are on my profile. Thanks for reading <3


	3. Madam Secretary

“He wants me?” Marinette asked Juleka. Adrien was a hot mess the night before and now he was making a very strange choice.

“Yes,” Juleka nodded, “I talked to him about getting a new secretary this morning and told him I had people ready to be interviewed. He said he wants you.”

“Juleka,” Marinette said,” I have no experience with this.”

“Mrs. Bourgeois is willing to start training with you today before she leaves on Saturday.”

“It’s Saturday today!” Marinette screamed making Juleka jump a bit. “…Sorry.”

“No, I understand. Mrs. Bourgeois really wanted to leave this week and if we didn’t get a secretary today, she’d have to come the next few work days to interview and then train the new secretary. Mr. Vice President also didn’t want to waste time interviewing people and suggested you, Mrs. Bourgeois... agreed.”

“She didn’t want me, did she?”

“Nope.”

“Then why am I here?”

“Mr. Vice President convinced her.”

Marinette sighed, “Why me, Juleka?”

“That’s something you need to ask him yourself,” Juleka told her. Marinette tapped her fingers on the desk and bit her thumb with her other hand. Juleka sighed, “He told me to only do this after I’ve tried everything to convince you, but I have no energy to even try.” Juleka opened a folder in front of her and took out a paper. She highlighted something and put the paper in front of Marinette. “This is how much you’ll be getting paid.”

“When can I meet with Mrs. Bourgeois?”

* * *

 

_1PM_

“Hi, Marinette,” Chloe shook her hand,” oh. You have a good hand shake, that’s great in this business. Anyways, I realize we didn’t get off on the wrong foot. I’m sorry for screaming. If I wasn’t pregnant, they probably would’ve fired me, and you would’ve gone down with me. I would’ve made sure of that personally.”  Marinette’s eyes were wide open, and she was paying attention to every word that came out of her mouth. “It was the most important day of my boss’ career, and I’ve been by Adrie- I mean Mr. Vice Preside- You know what, I’m still calling him Mr. Agreste. I’ve been here from the start of his career in the financial department when he was 18, and I was able to be his secretary when he got moved up higher and higher in this company. I just wanted to make sure that day was perfect. Look, Adrien doesn’t have a lot of friends and he trusts easily. It’s your job he trusts the right people and becomes business partners with the right people. Adrien makes the deals, but there are no deals unless you arrange the meetings.”

“I’ll do my best, Mrs. Bourgeois,” Marinette told her.

“Good,” Chloe smiled and then looked down at her stomach. She then looked back up and glared at Marinette. “My wife and I paid a lot of money to have this baby happen, and I want to enjoy her to the fullest until I have to be a mom _and_ a secretary again. Don’t. Make. Me. Come. Back. Early.”

“I understand,” Marinette reassured her. Marinette started realizing how important her job was, and she started doubting herself. She couldn’t afford to do that at the moment, though. She had to try.

Chloe gave Marinette a small smile and then looked over at the secretary’s desk. “I’ll show you how to use the phone, software, and computer right now. Then, I’ll go over this folder I made for you that has 100 solutions to 100 possible scenarios that could happen that either based off Adrien’s personality or based off business partners I’ve known to be stingy and so on. If Adrien wants to quit or starts hitting on you, I mean, he never hit on me, but you’re pretty cute, there’s things in here for that, too. I made this folder a few days ago so it should be pretty useful. Use it, don’t use it, I don’t care.” Chloe spoke sternly, “But if I come back early because you didn’t follow directions to a problem that had a solution in there, I’ll destroy you.”

“What if I do follow your advice, but it crashes?” Marinette asked. She was trying to not focus on the possibility of Adrien flirting with her. The minute she finished saying that question, she regretted it. Chloe looked ticked off.

Chloe took in a deep breath, “I’ve been wrong once in my years of work, but if one of those scenarios happens and you follow the advice, and it ends wrong, I’ll take the hit.” Marinette smiled at Chloe. She wasn’t as bad as she thought. She wanted to ask when she was wrong, but she decided not to.

After training with Chloe until 9PM, Marinette was pretty sure she had a grasp of what to do. Natalie who was Adrien’s father’s secretary went to help with the training and said that she’d check up on Marintte every two hours just to make sure she was doing fine. Chloe was relieved she only had to train Marinette one day, and Marinette was glad that she wouldn’t set the building on fire on the first day. Probably.

Marinette helped Chloe take some of her tings down to her car in the parking lot at night. Chloe was in her passenger seat with her window down and before she drove off she told Marinette, “Good luck, Ms. Dupain-Cheng.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Bourgeois,” Marinette smiled.

“No problem, just don’t ever call me unless Adrien is about to jump off a building. But let me give you some final advice that have to do with Adrien directly. He doesn’t get a lot of sleep. There’s things in the folder on how to convince him to go home and sleep because a sleepy Adrien is a weird Adrien,” Chloe shuddered. “Trust me. He also won’t take coffee for some reason, but I guess you can try making him some yourself. I know he throws mine away in the trashcan. My wife does, too, but that’s not your business. Also, if you go to a party with him, and he takes one drink, it’s too late. Don’t try to stop him. He doesn’t drink often so when he does, he’s an alley cat.”

“He doesn’t look that way,” Marinette said.

“Yeah, he’s a different person when he’s not Mr. Vice President. Don’t feel obligated to know him in both worlds. You’re only here for four months,” Chloe told her. “Also, you can leave before he does when your shift is over. You do get paid for overtime but just until 11. But really, you don’t have to stay until one in the morning. Nobody told me that until a few months later. Now, I really have to leave. I have to finish the nursery.”

“Alright. Thanks, Mrs. Bourgeois,” Marinette said.

“Bye,” Chloe smiled before she rolled up her window and drove away. Marinette went back inside the building and up to the 28th floor. She looked at the empty office. All the boxes were gone and all there was was her empty desk with the computer and the phone on the right side of Adrien’s office door, a coffee station on the left side of the door against the wall. They had set up sofas in the middle of the office so it wasn’t as empty. She felt right there. She looked back at Adrien’s door and realized she hadn’t seen him all day. Chloe said he was in meetings all day, and that he’s return around 9:30. Marinette knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Adrien said. Marinette walked in and saw that Adrien had his head down on his desk.

“Hey, Mr. Vice President,” Marinette greeted him, causing Adrien sit straight up. He looked really happy for some reason, and he had a huge goofy grin.

“Can you step outside for a second?” Adrien asked her. Marinette raised her eyebrow at him and then stepped outside. That’s when the Adrien spoke through the phone speaker and said, “Madam Secretary, please report to my office.” Marinette crossed her arms and laughed as she walked back inside.

Marinette sat down on one of the chairs in front of Adrien’s desk and asked, “Yes, Mr. Vice President.” Adrien laughed. He looked so tired and worn out for someone who was so young.

“I can’t believe you said yes,” Adrien told her with excitement in his voice

“Really? With that much money on the line?” Marinette grinned.

“Well, I didn’t know if you’d still take it,” he said. He leaned back in his chair and looked around his office to not stare at Marinette.

“Why,” Marinette sighed, “why did you pick me?” Adrien’s eyes shifted to look directly at her, and she was staring back at him, waiting for an answer. In reality, Adrien didn’t know _exactly_ why he wanted her as his new secretary. She made good coffee, but he knew that wasn’t the entire reason. He just knew he wanted her near him, but she couldn’t know that.

“I feel that… I can trust you,” Adrien told her. He hated that he wasn’t lying.

“I have no experience with this,” Marinette told him.

“I’ve never been VP either,” Adrien said and placed his head on one of his hands, “we’re a team of newbies.” Marinette smiled at him, causing him to cover his face with that one hand. He could feel himself blushing, and he knew he had probably made an unprofessional choice.

But it would be worth. He had a feeling she would be worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who saw the Comic Con stream? I'm so so so pumped for December!! Anyways I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It's been finished for days I just lag uploads sometimes lmao. Thank you!


	4. Admit Two

It was Marinette’s first day of work on Monday, and she was tripping over her own feet out of excitement. Literally.

When she stepped off the elevator, she tripped and landed on her chest. Adrien was sitting on one of the couches in the office and hurried over to help her get up.

“Are you alright?” Adrien asked her and reached out his hand. Marinette shook it off and took his hand to stand up.

“Yeah,” she smiled, “I’m alright. Thank you.” Adrien looked at her smile and then at their hands that were still together. Marinette kept talking and joked with him, “I’m really clumsy so backup any documents on your desk just in case I ever spill coffee on them.”

Adrien laughed nervously, “I’ll be sure to do that. Chloe left a list of things that didn’t get to be finished and a copy of her agenda on your desk. I trust you’ll do fine.”

“Yeah,” Marinette nodded, “if you believe in me, I can believe in myself, too.” After Marinette said that, she realized Adrien was still holding her hand because he slightly squeezed it. Her eyes darted to look at their hands, and she quickly pulled her hand, making Adrien feel embarrassed. “Do- Do you want coffee this morning?”

“Yeah....Yeah,” Adrien stuttered and ran his hands through his hair, “that’d be great. Wait a second please, though.” Marinette saw him walk towards one of the couches and pick up a briefcase. He walked back to her and held it out in front of her. “This is for you,” Adrien smiled. Marinette stared at it in awe. It was made of black leather, it had a golden ladybug charm hanging from the zipper of the side pocket, and it looked really expensive.

“Mr. Vice President, I can’t accept this,” Marinette murmured.

“You will,” Adrien said and put it in her hand. “Consider it a thank you gift.”

“Well, thanks,” Marinette smiled and stared at the briefcase.

“Ask me why there’s a ladybug charm on it?” Adrien grinned.

“Why?” Marinette asked and looked at him.

“I don’t know, you tell me,” Adrien said, grinning wider. Marinette rolled her eyes at him and gave him a small smile back. “I’m pulling your leg,” he laughed,” it’s because they represent good luck. Meeting you was out of good luck.” While Adrien was blushing, Marinette was confused.

“What? How was meeting me good luck? I spilled coffee on you on the most important day of your life,” she told him.

“Of my career,” he corrected her,” but it was good luck. Trust me.”

“If you say so,” Marinette told him as she played with the ladybug charm with her index finger and thumb. “I appreciate this a lot. I was actually going to use my last check from the café to buy one.”

Adrien smiled, “It wasn't an trouble. I had them make it for you Saturday, and they finished it this morning. It has your name on the back.” Marinette immediately turned it over to look at the back of the briefcase and saw MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG engraved on the bottom in gold.

“It’s really pretty,” Marinette said as she smiled at the name. She looked up and said told him, “Thank you.” She looked him in the eyes and saw them shift away quickly.

“You're welcome, Madam Secretary,” Adrien told her as he stared at a painting on the wall. Marinette giggled at his awkwardness and walked to her desk. Adrien followed behind her and went inside his office. Marinette set the briefcase and her purse down on her desk. There was a stack of papers in organized folders and an agenda with a letter sticking out. She opened the agenda that had important dates for the next four months, and then she opened the envelope. It was a letter from Chloe giving her instructions she had gone over the day before, the location of the _What If ____ folder, and wishing her good luck. She was as sweet as honey.

Marinette put the letter away and went to make Adrien coffee at their little coffee station. The coffee maker looked brand new, and it was the same design as the one in the coffee shop, making her life much easier. When she finished it, she knocked on Adrien’s door, and he told her to go in.

“Hey,” Marinette smiled, “I just brought you your coffee to start the day.” Adrien looked like as if he had cat ears, they would’ve perked up. He stood up straight in his chair and gave her a wide smile.

“Thank you. I’m glad that the old coffee maker will finally be put to use. I kid you not, Chlo- I mean Mrs. Bourgeois only used it about three times in the last two years that we’ve had it,” Adrien said. Marinette carefully placed the coffee on his desk and made her way out with Adrien watching her carefully each time. She tried to pretend that she didn’t notice, but it was really hard when she wanted to look back at him, too.

She sat down in her swivel chair and leaned back. She took a deep breath and stared at the ceiling. This was her new office, and she was super close to the first boy in years to make her heart beat in funny patterns. Even if he did act strange sometimes, she was grateful that she had met him. It just wasn’t as fun with her heart. She tried to not be excited when she saw Adrien, and she thought she was doing a good job. It was really hard trying not to tease him about blushing and staring at her. But she didn’t know if he’d get over it really fast, so she wasn’t going to try to make a move. It’d be really weird to date your boss anyways. It could get her fired, and she didn't want to risk anything. She sat up and looked at the file of papers on her desk.

It was time to prove herself.

* * *

Marinette finished all of the work on her desk by 5, and her shift ended at 6. She arranged two meetings with customers using a template Chloe had left her, and she already pulled out the _What If ____ folder for one of them since they were being stingy. Chloe did tell her that if Adrien needed her after 6 to deliver things to other floors, to organize papers, or any other job, he’d tell her. She was Adrien’s secretary, but she felt as if she was the guard to his jail cell. He didn’t leave the office once and the two times she went inside to put papers in the files and give him more coffee, he was looking at some papers. He only had lunch because Nathalie had brought him food.

Marinette met up with her best friend Alya for lunch earlier, and when she had to leave, Alya kept blowing up her phone when she was back at her desk. She was done with work so she opened the drawer where she shoved her phone and saw all the messages Alya had left her. They were all about her imagination of Adrien the Vice President and Marinette the Sexytary which made Marinette laugh... uncomfortably.

Marinette told Alya she didn’t have a crush on Adrien, she said she was simply infatuated for a few minutes when she first met him and then got over it. Of course, Alya didn’t believe crap. She made Marinette admit to thinking that he was extremely handsome and that his smile made her heart melt. Marinette also admitted to thinking that Adrien _might_ have a crush on her. But she said countered that if he did have a crush on her, he would have had never hired her as his secretary because their relationship had to be professional.

Once again, Alya didn’t believe crap.

**Alya: Mari if he didn’t like you or at least think you were cute, he would have never hired a girl who only knows how to make coffee**

**Marinette: I know how to do more but thanks**

**Alya: Stop dodging the point! He didn’t know you more than coffee. It was love at first sight Mari! Admit it and kiss him!**

**Marinette: Alya you have to chill out**

**Alya: Sorry but it’s been a really long time since you talked to me about a guy and he seems perfect for you**

**Marinette: You’ve never met him. I could be sugaring him up when I talk about him and he could be the biggest jerk ever and youd never know**

**Alya: If he was a jerk, you wouldn’t have taken the job. The worst thing you said is that he’s sometimes catty and confident, but then you say he turns into a marshmallow. come on Mari!! He’s the vp of a fashion company. You love that stuff!**

**Marinette: I hate that you know me too well**

**Alya: I’ve been training for years**

Marinette put her phone away once again and got bored aher desk. What did Chloe even do when she was bored? Well in the last few months, she was probably planning things for her baby. But she did say she had been by Adrien for years, so she didn’t know anymore. Marinette took out the _What If ___ folder and decided to skip through it. It was divided into three parts: business partners, Agreste Inc., and Adrien. Marinette hadn’t peeked inside the Adrien file, so she took out the papers in there.

_Scenario: I think Mr. Agreste has a crush on me._

_Response: You know how when a cat acts up you spray it with water? Do that. Shoot him down or ignore any flirty comments. Your relationship should only be professional and a friendship at the most. He’ll get over you. His longest relationship was eight months with a super model he almost married, and he wasn’t even sad after she broke off the engagement. You’re probably not special._

“What are you reading there?” Adrien asked as he stood behind her chair,looking over her shoulder, startling Marinette. She quickly shoved the papers back into the folder and turned in her swivel chair. She gave him a nervous smile and he raised his eyebrows at her.

Her voice was shaking as she said, “Just some tips on contacting foreign business partners.”

Adrien crossed his arms and smirked, “I was just asking to see if you’d tell me the truth. I saw what you were reading.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just came back from camping, and I finished it right now. I have no idea what I'm doing with Adrien's personality at this point, and I'm scaring myself. Sometimes his inner Chat is out which was most of the time before and now I think I made him too Adrien but ion evin no. I'll blame it on the coffee.


	5. Water Proof Mascara

“So what exactly did you read?” Marinette asked nervously, giving him a toothy grin. She was worried that he'd get really really upset on her first day already.

“I’ll keep it to myself, but if you have any questions,” Adrien told her, “just ask me. Doesn’t have to be about work even if your shift isn’t over yet.”

“You were engaged?” Marinette asked almost immediately. As soon as the question left her mouth, she wanted to punch herself in the nose for asking that. She looked away from Adrien, and started fiddling with her thumbs. Adrien was silent for a moment, and he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.

“Yeah,” he started, not looking at Marinette either. “It was two years ago. I had only dated her for a few months, I believe three to be exact, and my dad pressured me into proposing. She was the goddaughter of one of my dad’s esteemed business partners.” Adrien paused for a moment, trying to think of ways to say the next part without giving away too much. He was frowning. He sighed and then shifted his eyes to look at Marinette who was now looking at him directly. The corners of his mouth slightly went up to try to give her a smile, but he couldn’t. He looked away from Marinette again and stared at the walls across the room.

“You don’t have to finish,” Marinette told him, realizing it was getting harder for him to speak. “It must’ve been hard losing her.”

“It was someone else that was hard to lose,” Adrien whispered, staring blankly.

“I didn’t hear you, can you repeat that?”

Adrien snapped out of it and stood up straighter. “Ignore that. Anyways, something happened, and I couldn’t give her all the attention she wanted. She was very materialistic and probably liked me mostly because I showered her with gifts, but she still had her godfather to give her anything she wanted, so she broke off the engagement. I didn’t love her, so I was fine. My head was elsewhere anyways. Either way, I don’t think she loved me either. It would’ve been a sad marriage.”

“What makes you say she didn’t love you?”

“Okay,” Adrien thought before speaking again, “I wouldn’t go to a further stretch and say she didn’t love me at all. You couldn’t deny we had a spark, and we had a great time together. She was beautiful, and she made me happy. I like to think that I made her happy, too. But I don’t think we ever fell in love. At least I didn’t. We liked each other enough to get engaged and stay together for some months. We had what we wanted in another person but not what we needed. We haven’t spoken since we broke of the engagement, and I haven’t missed her once.”

“That’s insane,” Marinette replied to him. 

“Yeah, I’m really glad she broke it off. I don’t think I would’ve had the guts to,” he chuckled. He checked his clock. “I have to go to a quick meeting. If you want a ride home, I should be back by six, but if I’m not, wait or leave. I prefer you wait.” Before Marinette could say anything, Adrien started walking to the elevator. A few steps away from the desk, he didn’t turn around, but he said, “Please don’t spray me with water.”

Marinette didn’t say anything, but rather, she sat there and blushed. She didn’t move as if she was frozen, and she didn’t breathe until she heard the elevator close to indicate he was gone. She immediately opened her desk drawer to get her phone and tell Alya what had happened in the longest text she’s ever sent, and of course, Alya was nowhere near her phone anymore. Marinette just sat at the desk, staring at the ladybug charm on the briefcase. She let out a sigh and thought about how Adrien managed to flip her world around in so little time. Adrien was sometimes catty and playful, but at other times, he was super awkward and shy. He was different every time he had coffee or if he was outside the office or not. For the most part, he was quieter as Mr. Vice President and louder as Adrien when he didn’t have an image to keep up. Marinette hated that it was only getting harder to be professional by the minute

She heard her phone vibrate, and she picked it up immediately. She looked at the time before opening the text, and it was 5:19PM.

**Alya: Flirt with him**

**Marinette: Alya! No! It’s my first day on the job I’m not trying to get fired**

**Alya: I was gonna say something else but it’s a little inappropriate**

**Marinette: keep it to yourself**

**Alya: omg Mari if he told you that then it means he doesn’t want you to back off when he flirts**

**Marinette: He never flirts he just stares awkwardly and stuff**

**Alya: you act like you’re a better flirt yourself. I can’t wait until you fall harder and you start texting me all the dumb embarrassing crap ur gonna do. Either way he’s probably just building up the courage to flirt with you or waiting for a chance. It’s only the first day on the job Mari. A lot can happen in four months if he got engaged in three before**

**Marinette: oh shut up. You know I’d have to date someone for years before marrying them**

**Alya: I feel like you’d have to talk to someone for years before you’d let them hold your hand or you be able to hold their hand without combusting**

**Marinette: I hate you. Also he told me to wait for him so he could give me a ride home but I think I’m going to make a run for it as soon as its 6 if he doesn’t here in time.**

**Alya: what are you scared of?**

**Marinette: being a** **freeloader**

**Alya: girl he’s rich. Gas is probably the last thing on his mind. The main thing on his and also MY mind is you going on the Paris Metro by yourself with no weapon. You left your pocket knife at my place last time and I stole ur pepper spray too because I was going to walk to my babysitting gig that one time**

**Marinette: fine I’ll wait for him. Just remind me to get them next time I go**

Marinette waited at her desk, reading a fashion magazine that was exclusive only to designers. She had found it in his office, and she asked if she could look through it. He said she was free to look at anything she liked, and she tried really hard to not make an awkward joke and say that she’d stare at him for a while.She was absorbed in the magazine and time seemed to have flown by because Adrien came out of the elevator soon after. He looked out of it, but he managed to give Marinette a smile when she greeted him. He walked up to her desk, and she put the magazine down to give him her attention.

“You waited,” he told her in awe. He had a really cute smile on his face, and Marinette was the one blushing now.

“I have no pepper spray,” Marinette lied. Adrien still kept the same smile.

“I have to go get some work from the office to take home, I’ll be back right now, and we’ll leave,” Adrien told her before going into his office. Marinette gathered her things and went to wait by the elevator. Adrien eventually made his way to her, and went to the parking lot together. He opened the car door for her, and she thanked him. When he sat down and put on his seat belt, Marinette was staring right at him. He didn’t notice until after he started the car and then he turned to look at her. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m just thinking. Why did you bring work home instead of staying?”

“This might sound weird,” Adrien shrugged, “but being in my office here drives me mad when I’ve been in there all day long. My office at home is much more relaxed and decorated to my tastes. Also, my chair is a beanbag. I can’t fight that.”

“Oh, okay,” Marinette nodded and gave him a smile. She looked away from him and looked forward, having something on her cheek catch Adrien’s attention. She had an eyelash, and Adrien, out of instinct, reached out with his thumb and rubbed it off. Marinette got chills down her spine, and she felt her face go red.

Adrien realized what he did and felt really embarrassed. His face heated up, and he was holding up his thumb with the eyelash. Marinette slowly turned her head to look at him and then looked at the eyelash on his thumb.

“Do you want a wish?” Adrien chuckled uneasily. Marinette smiled, making Adrien feel a lot better.

“You do the eyelash wishes on your thumb thing, too?” Marinette asked, not wanting it to be awkward.

“Y-yeah,” Adrien said, “my mom taught me about it. Do you want the wish?”

“No thanks, you can use it,” Marinette said and gave him a grin. Adrien rolled down his window and blew the eyelash off his thumb.

“Hey, Marinette,” Adrien asked, “Are you hungry?”

“Yeah, and I have no idea what my mom is making tonight,” Marinette groaned, not realizing what Adrien where Adrien was going.

“Want to go to dinner with me? My treat,” Adrien spit out. Adrien’s face was as red as ever, and he was scared that she could hear how hard his heart was beating. He refused to look at her, but he could feel her gaze burn through his own cheek.

“R-right now?” Marinette stuttered.

“Y-yeah.”

“Wouldn’t it be…”

“It’s not a date. Just two co-workers having dinner together,” Adrien justified. Marinette and Adrien both knew damn well that was a lie.

“Well if that’s the case, yeah,” Marinette agreed.

 Adrien sighed in relief and looked at her, “Good. I can continue to believe in eyelash wishes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can finally update! I'm so sorry if ya'll have to go back to read what happened the last chapters. I know I did :') Okay so school started, and I had two lambs at the school farm, and I had to go to a county fair and a local fair to exhibit and sell. I was always at the farm or doing homework (AP student life/senior in HS life), so I put my fics at the end of my to do list. I can update now. Maybe every weekend or every other. I hope you guys like this chapter I just wrote in under three hours to get something up here. It's almost 1AM, and I didn't revise, so I'm sorry for any mistakes.  
> Do any of you guys do the eyelash wish thing? It's popular where I live lol. Anyways, it's not a date ;) (I have no idea where I'm going with this story I'm out of town and I forgot my notebook with all my main plot points. This is just a development chapter tbh)


	6. Two Co-Workers Having Dinner

Marinette didn't know if she regretted saying yes to Adrien. Either way, it was too late to go back at that point. Summer evenings in Paris were packed and all the cars and pedestrians under the blushing pink sky seemed as if they were all trying to go to the same place at once. They made small talk about stores and places they drove by and told a few stories about visiting them. Adrien still couldn't believe Marinette agreed to go with him, but he couldn't be happier. There were many times where he expected her to say no, but she'd go along with it. He knew she is what made him happy, but in the back of his mind, there was a red siren constantly ringing.

From the minute he decided he wanted her to be his secretary, that siren had gone off. When he first met her, he didn't even have time to realize how beautiful she was because he had other things on his mind. It was when she brought him the apology coffee that he wanted to be around her more. She showed him that she had a sense of humor, something most of the people around him didn't have. Those few minutes that she was in his office was probably the first time he had a good time in that building. Later that day, when he saw how blue her eyes were even in the dark of night, he felt as if he was going to fall over. It was an emotional rollercoaster in his stomach, and he hadn't felt that way about anyone in a long time.

He knew he had most likely made the most unprofessional choice to hire her as his secretary, but he couldn't help it. He wanted to be around her as much as possible even if it meant there was one wall between them.

Now he was taking her out to eat, and even though he looked calm and collected, his hands were gripping the steering wheel tightly and his heart would occasionally beat in unusual patterns. He wanted to know how she felt about the situation, but he didn't dare ask. She talked to him, and her words would go through one ear and out the other. He wasn't exactly listening to her words, but rather, he was listening to the sound of her voice. It made him feel better about the world.

Adrien noticed the traffic was fading, so he thought it was a good time to ask something relatively important. "So I know we've been driving for a bit, but where do you want to go eat?"

Marinette turned to him with pursed lips, "Really, Mr. VP? We've been on the road for over thirty minutes now. Where have we been driving to?" She giggled about the situation as she laid back in the seat.

"Well in my defense, I know restaurants all over Paris."

Marinette bit the nail on her thumb as she thought. "Just don't take me anywhere fancy," Marinette requested.

"So a small diner would be fine?" Adrien asked her.

"Yes."

"I know a nice place a few minutes from here," Adrien told her before started heading towards the familiar destination. The pulled over to a curb in front of a packed restaurant.

"Is there even room for us?" Marinette asked as Adrien opened the car door for her.

Adrien closed the car door and locked it, smiling at her and nodding. "They're very caring people. They'll make anybody that wants to eat fit. I've eaten in the break room once. I'm friends with the owner's son, and she loves me." He opened the door to the restaurant for her, and she walked into the loud place. She scanned the area and saw that there was a table for two by the kitchen door in the corner. Behind the window to the kitchen, a lady was waving at them. Adrien waved back and motioned Marinette to follow him. They walked up to her, but she reached them first as she walked out the kitchen door. She was a short middle aged woman, and she had a huge smile on her face as she hugged Adrien.

"Adrien," she beamed, "I haven't seen you in a while. Have you been busy with work? I heard you're vice president now, congratulations!"

"Thank you, Mercedes," Adrien smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry I haven't been around as much as I'd like."

She shook her head, "Don't worry about it. Nino isn't here today anyways. The boy probably misses you, but I'll tell him you've been busy."

"Did he get a job somewhere today?" Adrien asked her.

"Yes, actually," she nodded, "he got a job in a wedding out of town. He's supposed to be back today, but you know how he gets." They both laughed with each other, and Marinette stood there, not knowing what to do. Adrien saw Marinette and realized he forgot to introduce them.

"Mercedes," Adrien said and put his hand on Marinette's shoulder, "this is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She's my secretary for the time being." Marinette and Mercedes shook hands.

"It's so wonderful to meet you," Marinette smiled at her.

"Right back to you, sweetheart," she told her and gave Adrien a smirk, making Adrien get flustered. "Have a seat you two. I'll get you guys a menu in a few seconds." She disappeared back into the kitchen, and Adrien and Marinette walked over to the table. Adrien pulled out the chair for Marinette before sitting down himself.

"How long have you known this family?" Marinette asked him.

"I've known her son, Nino, since I was about thirteen. We've been best friends ever since. They're my second family," Adrien explained. Marinette looked around the restaurant and noticed that a few people were staring. They'd immediately look away when she made eye contact with them.

"Do people recognize you here?"

"I used to eat here a lot before I went through VP training. I also used to model a lot a few years back, too. Maybe through that?"

"I forget you're famous sometimes," Marinette admitted. "My parents freaked out when they found out I was going to be your secretary."

Adrien gave her a small laugh, "Really? That's great. I don't think it's a big deal, but I've been chased by cameras since the day I got out of the hospital so that changes a lot."

"Is there cameras now?"

"Who knows?" Adrien shrugged. "If there's a photo of us eating all over the media tomorrow and saying we were on a date, I wouldn't be shocked." Marinette felt herself get tense.

"Wouldn't you get in trouble?" Marinette asked him, her voice shaking a little.

"No. My father could care less. There was a million rumors that Chloe's baby was mine because her wife and her obviously can't reproduce on their own,” Adrien laughed. "Rumors run everywhere, but they never reach the finish line unless they're proven to be true."

Mercedes brought them the menus, and Adrien told what he wanted without looking through the card. He helped Marinette chose what to order as he pointed to things on the menu that was flat down on the table. He knew that menu by heart. When Marinette pointed to one thing on the menu, Adrien accidentally pointed at it at the same time, making their fingers touch. They both hated themselves because something as small at their fingers touching made them feel like it was the end of the world and the start of a new universe.

After ordering, Marinette played with the watch on her wrist, not knowing what to say. Adrien had so many things he wanted to ask her, but he reminded himself that it wasn't supposed to be a date.

"You draw, right?" Adrien finally asked.

"More like doodle," Marinette replied, laughing nervously. "I just sketch random ideas or whatever people wear."

"I think you're a really good artist," Adrien told her.

Marinette raised an eyebrow at him. "I've never shown you my drawings. Actually, I haven't drawn since before I got this job." Adrien's eyes shot wide open as he realized that he had stolen her sketchbook. "Adrien? Do you know where my sketchbook is? Now that I think about it, I haven't touched it in a while."

Adrien took a deep sigh and admitted, "Okay, so the day Juleka called you to HR, I went to go see you at the coffee shop. I wanted to tell you that Juleka had news for you, but your co-worker told me you were already gone. Your sketchbook was on the counter, and I took it without asking. I'm sorry." Adrien had a huge frown, and he felt embarrassed. Marinette didn't know how to feel, but she knew she wasn't angry. She didn't even know if she could get angry with him.

"I'm not mad, don't worry. It's okay," Marinette told him. Adrien sighed in relief. "We're even now, though."

"How?" Adrien asked her curiously.

"For spilling coffee on you on the most important day of your career."

"I can live with that," Adrien told her, giving her a grin.

"Just give me back my sketchbook and don't take it without permission, okay?" Marinette told him, scolding him like a little kid.

"So can I ask for it?"

Marinette bit her lip as she thought for a short moment, "Yeah, you can." Adrien gave her a huge smile, making her blush. Adrien noticed how flustered she got, making his mind go all over the place. It was moments like this where he had an inch of hope that she had the same feelings he did.

"Why are you flushed? Do you feel sick?"

"N-No," Marinette shook her head and covered her face with both of her hands. "I'm alright, don't worry." Adrien nodded and smiled, happy about her reaction. He knew he probably shouldn't push any further. The siren was louder than ever, but, he couldn't help it.

"Marinette, can I ask you questions," Adrien then added, "as a friend."

"Um, yeah," Marinette nodded and took a sip from her straw.

"Are you seeing anyone?" Adrien asked her. He didn't know why, but he felt relieved that he finally got the question out. On the other hand, Marinette's insides were melting and her head was pounding due to the simple question. She took a deep breath to regain her composure.

"No," she finally replied, "I haven’t dated anyone in years. I honestly can't remember the last guy I talked to that I liked." Adrien was content with her answer and nodded. "I'd ask you, but you told me your story earlier."

"Yeah, it didn't even last a year," Adrien laughed. "She was my first girlfriend, and I almost married her."

"What made her different from the other girls?" Marinette asked him, making him process the question in his head over and over.

"What do you mean?"

"There were probably a lot of other girls that were after you, no?" Marinette told him before feeling embarrassed at her question. "Actually, never mind. I shouldn't assume something like that."

"No, you're good," Adrien reassured her, giving her a small smile. "I think it's that she went after me. I think a lot of the girls that liked me and that I liked back expected me to go after them, but she made the first move, and I liked that. I've grown since, though. I think that if I liked someone now, I'd make a lot of the first moves." Adrien hoped she took the hint, but she pushed it to the back of her head. She was the one that kept reminding herself it wasn't a date. Their food then arrived, and most of the time, they were quiet. Marinette was trying to not eat like a slob, and Adrien was trying to not eat his food in .5 seconds like he usually would. A while passed, and they were both done with their meals. Adrien asked for the check, and he paid for their food like he said he would.

Adrien asked her, “Do you want to leave or do you want to deal with me for a little bit longer?”

Marinette gave him a smile, “I don’t mind dealing with you for a while longer.”  _I wouldn’t mind dealing with you for the rest of my life_ she thought in the back of her mind.

“Have you ever thought about being a fashion designer and not just for fun?” Adrien asked her, taking her aback. 

“Well yeah," Marinette replied, "but I don’t have the schooling for it. I’m not talented enough to just apply. I’m going to save as much money from this job and see if I’m able to afford school afterwards.”

“I see,” Adrien nodded.

“Did you want to work in your father’s company? I know a lot of people don’t want to follow their parent’s footsteps.”

“I did actually,” Adrien smiled, “I’m really lucky. My parents told me they’d pay for my education to do anything I wanted, but I wanted to continue to be in the fashion industry. It’s not full of the best people but sometimes you find amazing people. Even if that person just works in the tiny coffee shop on the first floor.” Marinette and Adrien looked each other in the eye and gave each other nervous smiles. Adrien’s cheeks were a rosy color, and Marinette felt her face heat up. Marinette knew it wasn’t just two co-workers having dinner anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AO3 glitched for a bit so if I uploaded the same chapter twice, please tell me. Anyways, this is the longest chapter so far WOO HOO! I decided to end it there before I went on and made it even longer. Thank you for reading and for always leaving wonderful comments and kudos that warm up my heart like Adrien and Marinette dancing together <3


	7. Lucky

Adrien pulled up in front of Marinette’s family’s bakery around 9 at night. He turned to her, “Is this the place?”

“Yeah,” she nodded as she gathered her things, “thank you… for everything.” She looked at Adrien and gave him a smile, making him blush in return.

“Um, yeah… yeah. No problem,” he nodded. He was sweating even as the cold air of her open door hit him. He hadn’t felt that way in such a long time, and he loved it as much as his feared it.

“Good night, Adrien,” she told him as she got out of his car, the smile never leaving her face.

“Good night, Marinette,” he smiled. He waited for her to get inside before he drove off, his heart beat being his radio for the drive home. He didn’t know yet if taking Marinette out for dinner was the best or possibly the worst choice of his life. He had a small crush on his secretary, and he was making it a bigger problem for himself by acting on it. He rarely went after girls he liked but something about Marinette told him to chase her before she walked away completely. For now, he was as close to her as he could be and there was nothing else he could do without being deemed unprofessional. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable either.

Inside her room, Marinette was staring at the ceiling of her room. There were patches still left unpainted, and she was going to finish them that night, but of course, Mr. Vice President had other plans. She sat down at her desk and pulled out her journal, writing in messy handwriting all of her fears that emerged from the few hours of joy she felt with Adrien. She could not, and she should not see Adrien Agreste as anything more than her boss. But she was.

She was slowly convincing herself that he liked her, and she should allow herself to fall head first for him. But she was scared of any possible consequence, and it was driving her insane. It had only been a few days since their first encounter, and her stomach had all the butterflies in the world. He was so awkward it was cute, and that was slowly going to transform her from her clumsy self to a clumsier and more shy version of herself. Everything was coming together and falling apart at the same time. She shut her journal and got ready for bed, ready to see Adrien the next day already.

-

Adrien was in his office, drinking the last of his coffee from that morning. He was going through some papers when he heard a strange noise from outside his office. He quickly got up and rushed outside. He looked at Marinette and asked her, “What kind of sneeze was that?” She turned in her swivel chair to turn to him, holding her lip as blood dripped down on her shirt.

“Um,” she mumbled, trying to talk through her busted lip, “I sort of got mad and slammed my head on the keyboard… too hard.” Adrien at first freaking out when he saw the blood, but he couldn’t help but start laughing when he heard her explanation. She really was something else.

“It’s your second day, don’t worry about it,” he said and walked up to her. He held his hand out and pointed at the restroom, “Let’s get you cleaned up.” Marinette got up and followed Adrien to the restroom where he turned on the sink water and got her paper towels. Adrien saw how stained her shirt was and bit his lip. “Okay, Madam Secretary. As weird as this may sound, and I apologize in advanced if it comes off wrong, but do you have an undershirt?” Marinette raised an eyebrow and nodded, taking a paper towel and pressing it against her lips. “Okay, you can go ahead and take your bloody shirt off before it stains your undershirt, and I’ll try to go to development and see if there’s a fresh shirt I can grab for you.” Marinette nodded and started undressing and as Adrien tried walk out the door. Unfortunately, he met with someone else at the doorway.

Nathalie was just there to check on Marinette, but she was seeing more of Marinette than she needed to. Adrien had left the door wide open and of course, it looked like he was closing the door while Marinette was undressing, causing a hurricane of thoughts to go through Nathalie’s brain.

“Nathalie!” Adrien jumped, making Nathalie cross her arms in return. “Ms. Dupain-Cheng has an injury,” he nervously explained, moving to the side so Nathalie could see that he wasn’t lying, “I’m going to development to get her a fresh shirt for the rest of the day. I’ll be back.” He shuffled his way around Nathalie in a way that made both Marientte and Nathalie smile.

“Are you feeling alright, Ms. Dupain-Cheng?” Nathalie suddenly asked, startling Marinette.

“Uh, yeah,” Marinette nodded as she pressed a new paper towel on her bottom lip. “Just a minor busted lip.” Her words were a little slurred but Nathalie understood her perfectly.

“Did you slam your head against the keyboard?” she asked with a sly smile.

Marinette nodded, impressed at her guess, “How did you know?”

“I broke my nose like that once,” she said before walking away. “I’ll be back in a few hours or call me if you need my help sooner,” Nathalie told her as she stepped into the elevator. Marinette turned around and looked at the mirror. She removed the paper towel to look at the cut she had left on herself. Her lip was swollen and it would probably be purple in a few hours. She was going to have fun explaining that to her parents and Alya. She thought about what had happened with Adrien just that moment, and she couldn’t help but laugh. Adrien was getting cuter to her by the second.

About fifteen minutes had gone by when Adrien finally returned to their floor with a shirt. It was silky red button up with black buttons, and he thought that it suited Marinette perfectly. “Here,” he said and handed her the shirt, “for my lucky charm.” Marinette quickly took the shirt and turned around so he wouldn’t see her blush. Of course, Adrien could still see that tiny smile she was trying to hide from the mirror in front of her.

“Thank you,” she told him, looking at the floor as she spoke and buttoned the shirt up. “I’m also sorry for being a nuisance.”

“You’re not a nuisance, trust me,” Adrien told her and put his hand on her shoulder, making her freeze. He gently squeezed before letting go and saying, “I’m going back to work now. Hopefully I’ll catch you before lunch.” Marinette stayed in the restroom for a few more minutes after Adrien walked out, trying to regain composure.

_He does not like you. He does not like you. He does not like you. He does not like you._

Marinette took a deep breath and looked at her lips one more time before walking out.

-

“You should’ve kissed him,” Alya told her before taking a long sip from her smoothie.

Marinette gasped and made a variety of hand motions, “Alya! Me?! Kiss him! Ugh! Are you crazy, Alya?! What is wrong with you Alya!”

Alya’s face remained expressionless as she replied, “No, Mari. You’re the one going crazy and what’s wrong with you is that you’re starting to like him, a lot, which means you’re slowly going to turn into this huge blob.” Alya cracked a smile, “I can’t wait.”

Marinette rolled her eyes, “Nothing is going to happen.”

“That bitch is basically asking you to marry him,” Alya rolled her eyes.

“Language,” Marientte told her as she threw a plastic spoon at Alya, missing completely. “Also, when he took me out to dinner last night, it was… confusing. Nothing in my head is clear about what’s going on.”

“Okay,” Alya took a deep breath and said, “f you’ve told me absolutely everything, I can see that Adrien is more of a flirt at work and he becomes even more awkward and shy and all cutesy wutesy outside of work. But! Either Adrien, makes your heart shake. You’re trying to play both situations cool, and I’m sorry Marinette, but you will fail.”

“Wow,” Marinette sarcastically smiled, “I’m so lucky to have you as a friend!”

“Not as lucky as Mr. VP is lucky to have you,” Alya smirked.

“Screw off, I’m trying to not get fired during my first week.”

“Screw him!” Alya yelled, getting attention from people in the café they were in.

“Alya,” Marinette gasped and lowered her head in embarrassment, “shut up!” Alya laughed at her best friend’s reaction.

“You’re too good for this world, Marinette,” Alya told her. “If he ever hurts you, I swear I’ll snap him in half.” Marinette smiled and went back to eating her lunch. “I know you don’t want to hear this, Marinette, but I actually think he likes you. It’s just up to you if you’re going to reject his advances.”

“I just,” Marinette sighed, “I don’t want to lose a good money opportunity.”

“I don’t think he’d put your job on the line, just saying.”

“So what do I do?” Marinette asked her, shoving her face into her hands, carefully not touching her lips.

“Just go with it and see what happens,” Alya told her. “Just one thing.”

“What?” Marinette looked up.

“Don’t be weird about it.”

Marinette grinned, “I don’t think I can avoid that.”

-

When Marinette got back from her lunch, she put her purse on her desk and went inside Adrien’s office to see if he was there. She cracked the door only slightly, and he was typing away on his desktop. Before she could retreat, Adrien looked up and saw the corner of her eye.

“What’s going on, Madam Secretary?” Adrien spoke, startling her. She flung the door all the way open and took a big step forward.

“Uh,” she fumbled, “I just wanted to see if you needed anything.”

“I’m fine at the moment,” Adrien smiled, the butterflies in his stomach causing a storm, “thank you.” He focused in on her face and motioned her to come closer. “Can I see your bruise?” Marinette and Adrien’s hearts were both pounding as Marinette slowly walked towards his desk. She placed hers hands on the desk and leaned forward. Adrien slowly reached out and gently touched the corner of her lip with the back of his index finger. “Am I hurting you?” Adrien whispered.

“Not yet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I'm so sorry I felt like I hadn't updated in like three weeks which honestly, in the fanfic world, that ain't that bad. Then I checked and realized I haven't updated in 3 months and 20 days to be exact. I'm really sorry about that.  
> I'm sort of lost on their emotions, and I'm as confused as Mari and Adrien but hopefully I'll be able to build up a rhythm and let the story keep progressing without it turning into complete shit. I've considered rewriting the whole thing, but I have commitment issues so we're going to sticky with the BS I have and roll with it. -laughing crying emoji- -skeleton emoji 10x-   
> Anyways, my MLB tumblr is currently (I say currently because I change it like every episode) robostus if anything! :) Have a great day and comment or leave kudos if you read this to the end. Thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this story line written on note papers that I carry around in purse for months, and I finally wrote it out. I've never written an Adrien/Marinette chapter story before, so I hope you guys like this business AU. Kudos are awesome, and I love comments even more. <3 Also I don't revise so if there's small or big typos, tell me. I won't get mad. Also PSA, I know nothing about coffee.


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